Save Uber Dallas!

August 27, 2013

Posted by Andrew

Since our launch almost a year ago now, Uber has made great strides in creating a convenient, efficient, safe, and classy transportation alternative in Dallas. Our technology platform has improved transportation options for thousands of Dallasites, and has helped grow the small businesses of hundreds of our driver partners.

Unfortunately, the City of Dallas will soon decide on rule changes, proposed late Friday night that, if enacted, would shut Uber down. The bill’s proponents – City Manager Joey Zapata and the taxi industry – have been trying to circumvent the City Council’s regular process and add last-minute language to the Council’s agenda, to avoid Council scrutiny and citizen feedback. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings has rightly pledged to “get to the bottom of this for Dallas citizens”.

Make you, the rider, wait 30 minutes before getting in a car you’ve ordered. That means that if the car arrives in 4 minutes, the City wants to make you stand there staring at it for 26 more minutes.

Regulate technology companies as if they are transportation companies. We have created an application that allows a user to directly connect and request a ride from an idle and available, licensed and regulated transportation provider. These proposed regulations would unjustly classify Uber as a transportation provider and regulate us as such. This is like forcing Expedia to get a license from the FAA and be regulated as an airline.

Limit limousine vehicles to those that cost $45,000 or more, limiting economic opportunity for drivers and making getting around Dallas A LOT more expensive for consumers.

Create a minimum limousine fare. We have seen this before and if allowed this could result in minimum fares 10-15 times more expensive than a taxi. This would make it impossible to operate lower cost, eco-friendly transportation options and to make them accessible to even more consumers.

This eleventh-hour move to outlaw competition in order to appease the Dallas taxi industry and create a government-sponsored monopoly for Dallas taxis is appalling. Dallas deserves better than this – it deserves transportation options, not protectionist politics-as-usual.

Certain city officials are trying to slip this one in under the radar – we need your help telling them what Dallas thinks of that! Sign the petition and tell the City Council #DallasNeedsUber on Twitter!

Together we can protect Dallas transportation options that help make this city more liveable, more vibrant and more efficient.

Uber on,

Leandre Johns

You can sign the petition HERE. Here are the City Council members’ contact information if you’d like to write them directly.